Mail-marking machine



I I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. M. V. B ETHRIDGE & H. E. WAITE.

MAIL MARKING MACHINE.

No. 535,983. Patented Mar. 19, 1895.

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M V. 'B. ETHRIDGB & H. E. WAITB. MAIL MARKING MACHINE. No. 535,983. I Patented Mar. 19, 1895.

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NITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN V. B. ETHRIDGE, OF EVERETT, AND HENRY E. WAI TE, OF NEWTON,

ASSIGNORS TO CHARLES E. BROWN, OF READING, MASSACHUSETTS.

MAIL-MARKING MACHINE..

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 535,983, dated March 19,1895.

Application filed April 25,1894. Serial No. 3,996- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:-

Be it known that we, MARTIN V. B. ETH- RIDGE, of Everett, and HENRY E.'WAITE, of Newton, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Marking Machines, of which the following'is a specification. Y

The present invention relates to certain im-.

provements in mail marking machines, and one improvement has special relation to the machine shown in a companion application filed March 12, 18945 Serial No. 503,278, the object of this improvement being to provide more reliable means for establishing operative relation between the impression-device and its driver. In the construction shown in said application, such operative relation is established by movement of a lever imparted by a mail-piece passing between a stationarily supported roller and a roller on one end of the lever. The opposite end of the lever carries a roller supporting the impression-band in proximity to its driving pulley, and adapted to press said band into operative engagement withsaid pulley by reason of the movement imparted to the lever by the mail-piece. In the case of a very thin piece as a postal card, it has been found that wear of bearings or other parts may defeat the successful performance of the machine, and it is to avoid such a possibility that one feature of the present invention has been devised. This feature of the invention provides for movement of the impression-band support which takes the latter into operative engagement with the driver by positively acting means, as a cam or like device, through the medium of a detent device or fulcrum controlled by the mail-pieces so that only when a mail-piece passes does the action take place.

Another feature of the invention is an improvement in means for stacking the marked mail-pieces which insures their delivery in regular order as marked.

A machine embodying the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

' Figure 1 shows a plan view of the complete machine with the parts in normal relation. Fig. 2 shows an elevation of the inner side of compound levers appearing in plan in Fig. 1, and also shows co-acting parts insection. Fig. 3 shows a crosssection on line 33 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow crossing said line. Fig. 4 shows a longitudinal central section of the machine taken on line 44: of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrow crossing said line. Fig. 5 shows a section on line 55 looking in the direction of the arrow crossing said line.

The letter, a,'designates a horizontal supporting table slotted as usual to accommodate the feeding belt, I), which forms the bottom of a hopper whose sides, 0, are fastened on the table. A timing stop, cl, stands across the end of the hopper, as is common in this class of machines, and said stop is. carried by a spring-held lever, d, acted upon by a cam, d on the spindle of the marking cylinder, e, which rotates continuously. Opposed to the marking cylinder is a continuously rotating pulley, 6, whose periphery is recessed to accommodate a series of sheaves, 6 Beyond said pulley, e, is a continuouslyrotating pulley,f, which may be'termed a driver, for the reason that it is designed to impart motion to a belt or band, g, having a thickened portion, g, constituting an impression bed or pad. The band, g, engages the pulleys, e, and f, but has not normally operative connection therewith such as to cause its advance thereby, said band being retracted by a spring, It, so that its thickened portion, 9', is held back from between the pulley, e, and the marking cylinder. Another spring, h, is connected with the opposite end of the band but is inferior to the spring, h.

The means whereby operative relation is established between the band and the pulley, f, by the passing mail-piece are as follows: An arrangement of compound levers is employed one of which lovers, 1', is pivoted to the table, a, at a point intermediate of its ends and carries at one end a roller, 1', engaging the band, g, in proximity to the pulley, f. The other lever, j, is pivoted intermediate of its ends to the end of the lever, t', opposite that carrying the roller, 'i, and said lever j, carries at one end a roller, j, in engagement with a cam-groove, j in the upper side of the pulley, f. The opposite end of the lever, j, is

formed with a shoulder, j for a purpose which will presently appear.

As the mail-pieces from the hopper pass the stop, d, they enter between feedrollers, 7r. Below one of said feed-rollers a bar, m, is pivoted to the table, a, and designed to swing horizontally thereover into and out of the path of the shoulder of the lever,j. A finger, n, affixed to the bar, on, projects across the path of the mail-pieces between the rollers, 7c. The bar is retracted from the path of the shoulder and said finger held in the letter-path by a spring, 0.

The eltect of the arrangement above described is as follows: When no mail-piece is passing the lever, 7', vibrates freely on its own center, and the lever, 11, does not move. Upon a mail-piece being let go by the stop, 02, and being taken by the feed-rollers it encounters the tinger, n, and the bar, m, is moved so as to bring its end in front of the shoulder, 7' on lever, j, and the subsequent inward movement of the latter on its own center is checked so that the motion imparted by the cam is transmitted to the lever, 1', the lever, j, turning on the bar, m, as a fulcrum. This motion of the lever, 71, carries the roller, t", toward the roller, f, and presses the band, 9, against the latter so that said band is operatively connected therewith and advanced thereby and the pad, g, is drawn in between the marking cylinder, e, and the pulley, e, and forms an impression bed for the marking dies. When the mail-piece has passed the finger, n, the spring, 0, restores the bar, m, to its normal position, and the operative engagement of the band and pulley,f, is broken. After the mail-piece has passed the marking devices, the band is immediately retracted and the impression pad withdrawn from between the marking cylinder and the pulley, e. Hence there can be no marking of this pad for it is never between the marking cylinder and opposed pulley except when a letter is between it and the marker. By this means smearing of the backs of letters is prevented.

It will be seen that by the improved arrangement operative engagement of the band and driving pulley is insured regardless of the thinness of the mail-piece, and a postal card will be equally as effective as a letter.

The finger, n, is preferably somewhat resilient, and the arm of the lever, i, which sup ports the roller, t", is also made resilient by the introduction of a spring, 2'

The novel arrangement for stacking the marked mail-pieces, 2, will next be described.

Just beyond the marking devices the table, a, terminates in a vertical wall, 19, at the base of which is a horizontal bed, 12', on which the letters are stacked. The mail-piece as it leaves the marking devices is projected past the vertical wall, 19, and drops down into the receptacle formed by said Wall, the bed, 13', a vertical wall, 19 opposite the wall, 19, and a rear wall, 9 The wall, 19 extends up sufficiently to prevent the mail-pieces from escapmg.

Ears, q, are fastened to the wall, 1), and project above the same, and form bearings for a rod, q, on which is fastened a plate, 1. Said plate extends down along the wall to a point below the plane of the table, a, and then projects out from said wall at an angle, as shown at r, Fig. 4., and back toward the same as at 7' its lower portion thus forming an obtuse angle and the lower edge being close to the bed,p'. A lever, s, is pivoted to a bracket, 8, under the bed, 19, and has a rounded upper end-portion occupying a slot in the wall, 13 and bearing against the lower part of the pendent plate. A spring, 5 connects the lever and plate. The lower arm of the lever is held against a cam, t, on the driving shaft, .2, by a spring, 15'. A slide, '0, is arranged on the bed, 19, for the letters to stand against.

The stacking operation is as follows: The parts being relatively positioned as shown in Fig. 4, a letter, 3, drops into the throat, y, formed by the portion, r, of the plate and the previously stacked letters. The cam, 25, now acts on the lever, s, causing it to move the pendent plate away from the wall, 19 and push back the stack of letters, 2, and slide, '1). The spring, t, restores the lever and the plate is moved back toward the wall, p -being connected with said lever by the spring, s ,-and an openingis made between the plate and the stack of letters, 2, of sufficient extent to admit the letter, 3, which drops down between the portion, 0, of the plate and the stack of letters. By this arrangement the stacking of the letters in regular order as they are marked is insured.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a mail-marking machine, the combination with a rotary marker and an opposed backing or support, of a normally disconnected and retracted impression-bed or pad, a driver, and letter-controlled means for operatively connecting the pad and driver to bring said pad between the marker and the opposed backing or support, said means comprising a i normally inactive member whose movement establishes the connection, a constantly moving member, and a letter-actuated member for converting motion of said constantly moving member into motion of the normally inactive member.

2. In a mail-marking machine, the combination of a rotary marker, a normally retracted band having an impression-bed, a driving pulley, and letter-controlled means for operatively connecting the band and pulley, the same comprising compound levers one of which engages the band and is pivoted to a stationary support, and the other of which is pivoted to the first-named lever, a cam for vibrating the second-named lever, and a lettor-actuated fulcrum for engagement with the latter.

3. In a mail-marking machine, the combination of a rotary marker, a pulley opposite the same, a driving pulley beyond, a band passing over said pulleys and having an impression bed or pad, a lever pivoted intermediate of its ends and carrying a roller at one end supporting the band in proximity to the driving pulley, a lever pivoted to the opposite end of the first-named lever and having a roller at one end, a cam engaging said roller to vibrate the lever, and a letter-controlled fulcrum for engagement with the end of said lever opposite that carrying the roller,

4. In a mail-marking machine, the combination of a rotary marker, a pulley opposite the same, a driving pulley beyond, a band passing over said pulleys and having an impression bed or pad, a lever pivoted intermediate of its ends and carrying a roller at one end supporting the band in proximity to the driving pulley, a lever pivoted to the opposite end of thefirst-named lever and having a roller at one end, a cam engaging said roller to vibrate the lever, and a pivoted and normally retracted fulcrum having a finger extending in the letter-path and adapted to be moved into position for engagement with the second-named lever, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. In a mail-marking machine, the combination of a horizontal support for the marked mail-pieces, a pivotally suspended stackingplate, a lever to act against the same, a spring attached at one end to the said ,lever and at the other to the plate, a cam to actuate the lever in one direction, and a spring to retract the said lever.

V In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 12th day of April, A. D. 1894.

- MARTIN V. B. ETHRIDGE,

HENRY E. WAITE. Witnesses:

A. D. HARRISON, F. P. DAVIS. 

